Beauty salons offer more types of service than almost any other trade. Facials, waxing, lashes, brows, massages, nails, tanning. Each one has its own length, price and prep. That makes booking by phone or message especially hard work, and a good booking system especially useful.
Where UK beauty salons are now
In our UK research we looked at 8,931 beauty salons:
- 9.2% had online booking we could detect.
- 20.4% had a website on record.
- 16.6% had an Instagram profile we could match.
So beauty is ahead of hairdressers (6.0%) and nails (6.5%), but most beauty salons still don't take bookings online. In Kent, beauty was the most online trade, at 14.4%. See our Kent study.
What to look for
Services with the right times
Set exactly how long each treatment takes, plus any clean-up or setup time. A 30-minute wax and a 90-minute facial shouldn't look the same in the diary.
Staff and rooms
If you have more than one therapist, each needs their own diary. Clients should be able to pick a therapist or take the first available.
Patch tests and consultations
Lashes, brows and some skin treatments need patch tests or consultations first. Your system should let you add these as their own services. See patch tests for lashes and brows.
Reminders
Automatic reminders before each appointment cut no-shows. Check whether reminders are included or cost extra.
Your own website
A booking page on a marketplace is useful, but your own website with a book button helps you build your brand and show up for "beauty salon near me". See Instagram vs a website for beauty businesses.
Clear pricing
Look at the total monthly cost: subscription, per-staff fees, add-ons, card fees and any commission on new clients.
Compare the costs
UK prices we checked in October 2026:
| Platform | What we found |
|---|---|
| Fresha | Independent plan £14.95 a month, Team plan £9.95 per team member, ex VAT. 20% one-time fee on new clients from the marketplace (minimum £4) |
| Booksy | £40 a month plus VAT, plus £5 a month per extra user. Optional Boost charges 30% of a new client's first visit (minimum £5) |
| Square Appointments | £0, £29 or £69 a month per location |
| Setmore | Free for up to 4 users; Pro from USD 12 a month plus USD 5 per user |
| NipRound | £19.99 a month per location, no commission, no setup fee |
Prices change, so check each provider's site. Our booking software costs comparison and Fresha alternatives go deeper.
Questions to ask before you sign up
- What will I pay per month with my team size?
- Is there commission on new clients?
- Are reminders included?
- Can I move my client list if I leave?
- Is there a contract or minimum term?
Mobile therapists
If you go to clients' homes, you'll need travel time between bookings and clear areas you cover. See online booking for mobile beauty.
A worked example: a three-therapist beauty salon
Say you run a salon with three therapists and a treatment room each. A setup might look like this:
- Services grouped by type: brows, lashes, waxing, facials, massage, nails.
- Each service with a real time plus clean-up: "Hollywood wax, 30 mins plus 10 mins clean-up", "Lash lift and tint, 60 mins".
- Patch tests as their own service for lashes and brows, with a rule that new clients book one at least 48 hours before.
- Therapist diaries: each therapist only shows the treatments they're trained in.
- Email reminders the day before, with a line about arriving with clean skin for facials or no lash make-up for lash treatments.
Clients can pick a therapist or take the soonest slot, and your rooms don't double book.
Step by step setup
- List every treatment with time, clean-up and price.
- Decide who does what. Map treatments to therapists.
- Add patch tests and consultations as short services.
- Write short descriptions for each treatment: what it is, how long it lasts, any prep.
- Turn on email reminders and add prep notes.
- Make a test booking for one treatment from each group.
- Add your link to Google, Instagram and your website.
Common mistakes
- Too many services. Thirty kinds of wax confuse people. Group them and keep names simple.
- No clean-up time. Back-to-back waxes with no gap make you late all day.
- Missing patch test rules. Clients book a lash lift and turn up untested.
- Unclear prices. If a price depends on hair length or area, say so.
Quick checklist
- Treatments grouped and named simply
- Times include clean-up
- Patch tests set up
- Therapists mapped to treatments
- Email reminders with prep notes
- Booking link on Google, Instagram and website
See our UK appointment business study for how beauty compares with other trades, and our Instagram-only study for how many beauty salons rely on Instagram alone.
Before you choose: a short test
Before you commit to any platform, run a quick test. Set up three of your real treatments, one from each main group, with your real times and prices. Book each one yourself on your phone as if you were a new client. Notice how many taps it takes, whether the patch test note is clear, and what the reminder email looks like. Then ask a regular client to try it too. If either of you gets stuck, your clients will as well. Ten minutes of testing can save months on the wrong system.
What about card fees?
Most platforms charge card processing separately from the monthly plan. Check the rate before you sign up, so the monthly total you work out is realistic.
FAQs
What's the best booking system for a beauty salon?
It depends on team size, budget and whether you want your own website or a marketplace listing. Compare total monthly cost and commission.
How many UK beauty salons take online bookings?
In our October 2026 data, 9.2% of 8,931 beauty salons had online booking we could detect.
Do beauty booking systems charge commission?
Some do on new marketplace clients. Others charge only a flat monthly fee.
Can I take patch test bookings online?
With most systems, yes, as their own service.
How many services should a beauty salon list online?
Enough to cover what people book, grouped clearly. If clients are confused, merge similar services.
Can each therapist have their own hours?
With most systems, yes. Set each therapist's working pattern so clients only see real free slots.
Try NipRound
NipRound gives beauty salons their own website with online booking, a diary per therapist and automatic email reminders, for £19.99 a month per location, with no commission. See NipRound for beauty.